Deadpool & Wolverine has superhero-landed in theaters, making for the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s biggest blockbuster event yet. This threequel shows the Merc with a Mouth getting drafted to the Time Variance Authority and teaming up with a variant of Wolverine to save his universe from destruction. Since the film features the return of 20th Century Fox’s mutant heroes, fans have been dying to see how it will affect the MCU at large.
Kevin Feige said in a press conference that Deadpool & Wolverine would finally begin the MCU’s “Mutant Era.” He also said to Gizmodo that, on a scale of 1 to 10, the impact the film would have on the MCU would be an 8, while stating that Avengers: Infinity War would be a 9 and Avengers: Endgame a 10. The idea that Deadpool’s third film would come anywhere close to those two films in terms of impact hinted at some huge changes. Let’s break down the film and what its ending means for the MCU.
How the Deadpool sequel sets up the finale
The film begins with Wade living as a car salesman in 2024, having separated from his wife, Vanessa, and retired from his life as Deadpool. This comes after Wade used Cable’s time travel device to try to join the Avengers in the MCU, only to get rejected for wanting to benefit himself rather than serve others. This shatters Wade’s confidence and causes him to push himself away from Vanessa, ending their marriage.
Though Wade wants to put his past behind him, the past comes back to crash his birthday party as the TVA arrives to arrest him. But instead of pruning him like countless other variants, Mr. Paradox offers Wade the chance to live in the Sacred Timeline, where much of the MCU’s events have taken place. Wade is ecstatic about this offer at first. But here’s the catch: Wade can’t return home, as his reality is about to die.
An offer too good to refuse
The film reveals that Wolverine is the Anchor of Wade’s universe (Earth-10005), a figure of such great importance that his death would mean the end of their timeline. Since Jackman’s character died with such glorious purpose at the end of Logan, their reality has begun to disintegrate. This process could take centuries, but Mr. Paradox intends to use his new “Time Ripper” machine to mercy kill this timeline and prove himself worthy of leading the TVA.
Instead of letting his loved ones die, Wade steals a Tempad and travels the Multiverse in search of a Wolverine who can become his timeline’s new Anchor. After many unsuitable candidates, Deadpool finds a variant of Logan he thinks would work and takes him back to the TVA. Unfortunately, Wade learns that this Wolverine isn’t fit to be an Anchor, as the latter is revealed to have let down his entire world by not being there to stop some humans from murdering the X-Men. In his anger, he slaughtered the humans responsible and tarnished the X-Men’s reputation, and has since been considered the worst Wolverine.
Enter the Void
Seeing Wade as a threat to his plans, Mr. Paradox has him and Logan pruned and sent to the Void. There, the duo encounters Cassandra Nova, Professor X’s evil twin, who rules over a band of surviving variants in the wasteland with her telekinetic powers. It turns out that Paradox struck a deal with Nova, in which she supports him in exchange for letting her operate in the Void.
The heroes later team up with a small gang of rebel variants led by X-23 to overpower Nova and escape the Void. Though Nova decides to help the heroes return to Earth-10005, she double-crosses them and Paradox after learning about the latter’s Time Ripper, choosing to use it to prune the entire Multiverse so she can rule over everything in the Void. However, after fighting through an army of Deadpool variants, Wade and Logan destroy the Time Ripper and annihilate Nova.
How does Deadpool & Wolverine end?
The film ends with the TVA arresting Paradox for his unsanctioned behavior and sending Deadpool’s variant allies back to their respective universes. However, Logan takes up residence in Earth-10005 as its new Anchor, content with letting his past stay the same, and meets Wade’s friends with X-23. While Wade may not have officially joined the MCU in the Sacred Timeline, the film implies that he will play a much greater role in it.
The whole reason Paradox offered Wade the chance to move to the MCU is that the higher-ups at the TVA claimed Deadpool would be crucial to the fate of the Multiverse in the future. It even hints that Deadpool will die in Thor’s arms (though this is possibly a throw-away joke). Nevertheless, Wade will likely fight alongside Earth’s Mightiest Heroes when the time is right, which might be in Avengers: Secret Wars. But now, it looks like he’ll have a Wolverine to join him.
Deadpool & Wolverine is now playing in theaters.
